Critical thinking

[tapper]

I completed my first day of an RN diploma program today. This school is considered one of the best in the region, with 100% of the students over the past five semesters passing the NCLEX on the first try. The first semster is composed of Nursing Fundamentals, which I can understand the relevancy, and Critical Thinking. Their definition of critical thinking is "a purposeful, outcome oriented, cognitive process that aims to make judgments based on fact and beliefs." Is this type of class typical of all nursing programs these days? When I spoke to my mother, who has been a nurse for over 20 years, she had never heard of the concept. But when I attempted to explain it, she felt this was a great way of approaching nursing.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I was taught critical thinking when I started nursing school in '87. Current grads in my area know the term but do not usually grasp the practice of it. I wish it was emphasized in every class, makes decision making clearer and easier, and encourages advocating for the patient for logical and defensible reasons. Physicians seem to respond better to nurses who have worked through this process than those that state "I'm just not comfortable with this order."

[Mijourney]

Hi pebbles. Thanks for the feedback. I don't recall hearing this term in nursing school, but then again, after being overwhelmed with careplans and clinical, I may have missed it in class. The evidence based journal for nursing I believe is relatively new. I don't think the international version has been out more than four or five years. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[tapper]

Now, after getting through a few chapters of my Critical Thinking text, I can see where teaching some sort of thought process in nursing school to be very positive. But at the same time, much of it does seem like common sense, with special phrases to describe how we should and shouldn't think.

From reading these posts I can also see it as the fashionable/trendy/in vouge thought process theory . Very similar to what ISO certification and Six Sigma are to corporate/manufacturing settings. I am sure that somebody will put a new spin on Critical Thinking, or come up with a different, but similar theory that will push Critical Thinking to the background, it's only a matter of time. But, for me, until I graduate, Critical Thinking is where it's at, like it or not. Thanks for the info.